Day 24: Scale of 1-10

Last night I went to bed with a headache. It was mild enough that I was able to fall asleep without any Tylenol but when I woke for the 2 a.m. vital check my head was THROBBING. I asked the nurse for Tylenol, which she brought. When she handed me the pills she asked, “How bad does it hurt on a scale of one to ten?” I said four but I really don’t think that was a good answer. This morning that number popped into my head and I decided I don’t like rating pain on a scale of 1-10. At the hospital closer to my house they have a pain chart on the wall with little faces that illustrate how you might feel per each number. I like that chart. It seems that I need that chart here.

Let’s hop back to the first few days here when I was in Labor and Delivery. When I was admitted I was asked on a scale of 1-10 what number would I rank the most pain I have ever felt. It was a hectic time with four people asking me different questions at once as I felt like my skin was on fire and couldn’t stop wondering what all of this talk about me needing an EKG was about. I said seven. I guess that is accurate but I try to forget painful experiences. I remember the time I fell off of my bike as a kid and scraped BOTH knees, one of which was already scraped and was scabbed over and healing. That hurt pretty freaking bad. I can also remember when a certain husband of mine “accidentally” dropped a 2×4 on my head as we were building our fence together this summer. That hurt pretty bad and I guess seven is an accurate representation of that pain. But a four? For a headache? I think in my sleepy haze I was being a bit of a drama queen. Especially since when I was having contractions in Labor and Delivery I rated them at max five. In fairness, contractions are quick pain and headaches are lasting but a four still isn’t a fair headache rating. I should have said two. Or better yet, I could have just said “It is your average headache.” I hope they didn’t write that four down on my permanent medical record.

Yesterday was a good day with lots of visitors. Our friends the Abitas stopped by with a stash of some books, flowers and assortment of Starbucks. Don’t worry, my drink was decaf and it was delicious! Sarah shares my love for the author Charlaine Harris so she brought some of Charlaine’s books from her personal stash. I can’t wait to break into those. I need to get out of this crocheting kick and finish “Water for Elephants” first. The Franklins also came by with baby Wyatt who we had yet to meet. He is such a cute, happy little boy! The monkey hat I made fit him perfectly…okay it was a little snug and he will grow out of it fast but. It fits him for now so he took it home with him. It is way cuter on an actual baby! Kayvan’s momma, aunt and uncle came by later in the day and just chatted with us before they headed off to dinner.

I was up pretty early this morning since I actually slept last night. I have learned the secret to getting people to leave you alone in the wee hours of the morning. When someone knocks, keep your eyes closed. They will come in and leave once they see that you are “sleeping” if they don’t need anything important. If they need to wake you, they will come in and quietly do so. I was awake, showered and had eaten all before 10:00 this morning. Kayvan wanted to make sure I was situated before he left me for the day. Baby steps are working because normally the non-stress tests stress him out and today he left before we did the non-stress test, which went well. Today Kayvan is working on his “honey do” list. He headed to Sherwin Williams for paint and supplies and will be giving the nursery its coat of green paint today. The brown stripe will either have to wait for me to come home, a painting pro to volunteer or for Kayvan to realize that he can paint the stripe. Regardless, we are making progress on the nursery and I can’t wait to see pictures later today! …hopefully he remembers to take pictures.

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Glad you got some sleep and people are keeping you entertained! I plan to visit next weekend! During the week I would never make it before hours are over and no sitter this weekend. Love ya! Miss ya! And keep those legs crossed :o)

Yep the 4 is on your permanent medical record but its not a big deal. 🙂 Pain is pain is pain and needs to be addressed. It’s just something they can use to keep track of if your pain gets worse. Tell your hubby if he does that stripe (I just painted one on the nursery wall too) to use FROG tape instead of blue painters tape, it is better for getting nice clean lines. It’s in the same section. Right before painting you take a damp rag and wipe the edges of the tape down, the water activates something in the tape and creates a nice tight seal. It’s not perfect but MUCH better than what you would get with painters tape. I only had minimal touch up to do using that. He can do it! lol